Being from Kentucky originally,
I have a number of ideas-
first most of those able to do so left Kentucky for better jobs in Ohio and Michigan
second schools began teaching non-sense non-science as trhey refused federal dollars
third with the only jobs left being coal related and the coal companies dependent on less people, wages were increased as workers wer reduced in number.
Natural gas threatened coal production and onwers needed to fight back at any law that might increase cost of mining or increase cost of using coal.
Owners threaten workers that if they support Obama they will lose jobs.
Evangelical churches grow as more moderate and educated people flee the state for better opportunity.
Evangelicals preach right to life and blame democrats.
The list goes on and on.

I've never really understood the tendency for poor, white voters to vote republican, but Kentucky seems to be like other parts of the south in that way. Religion certainly plays a part and coal is influential also, but I think it's influence is not as great as it is sometimes portrayed.

One thing I noticed about the map was Elliott County - the light blue county in eastern Kentucky. It has voted for the democratic candidate in every presidential election but it has far more in common with it's red neighbors than with the other blue counties in the state. I would love to know why that is. I also expected Madison County to be blue but it was not. It is heavily influenced by a university and has Berea which I've always thought of as a liberal "artist town".

I was born in Kentucky and have lived here for most of my life. It's actually a pretty nice place, but the political climate is the one main thing I wish would change. I think if we can ever figure out why people vote the way they do, then we might have a hope of turning the state around.